Chrysalis
by IChangeMyNameTooFrequently
Summary: "What defines us? Is it the things we do in the past, or is it perhaps who we are in the present moment? Are we molded by the things we do, or perhaps by somebody else?" These are the questions that float in the head of a wanderer out in the wild.
1. Chapter 1

A young huntress-in-training sat upon the central clock-tower of Lago, the bell tolling midnight. Mikado Falu, a tiger Faunus, had been relaxing atop the tower when she had spotted some rather suspicious activity occurring a few buildings down. From her vantage point, Mikado spotted a large group of people pulling up to a warehouse in black vans. Out of the corner of her eye, she had also noticed the three figures that had approached the warehouse by rooftop shortly after.

Mikado sat, waiting for any sign of activity when a gunshot rang through the air. She smirked, leaping from the tower to a building below. She dropped down into an alleyway before rushing towards the warehouse, as she began to hear shouting mixed in with the gunfire. "So this is serious?" Mikado spoke aloud. "Well then, all the more time for me to shi-!" She was quickly cut off by a figure that dropped down in front of her, draped in a large overcoat. The figure's head perked up, keeping its eyes latched onto the young girl in front of it.

Not moving its eyes off of Mikado, the figure spoke, its voice emotionless and uncaring. "An intruder is attempting to interrupt the operation. Suggested course of action? Over." The figure waited, before nodding. "Very well then. I will proceed. Over." In an instant, the figure had thrown off the coat, revealing a man. There was no expression on his face, but she could tell that he was very serious about what he was doing. His eyes, a dull green, locked onto Mikado's own amethyst orbs, as he reached for two long barreled revolvers.

It was clear at this point that he was looking for a fight, and she was going to bring him one. Mikado, despite only being fifteen, was more talented than her entire class, having the skills of a first year at one of the four Huntsman Academies. She drew her sword and charged at him. The man quickly drew his revolvers, firing off multiple shots from each one. Too easy. Mikado dodged and weaved through each bullet, lunging towards the man in a stabbing motion.

She hadn't been paying attention, as the recoil of the bullets had flipped the revolvers into a second mode, two blades emerging from the guns' chambers. She transformed her sword into its shield mode in time to block the swings from his blades. She jumped back, shifting her weapon back into its sword mode. The man remained completely still, remaining on the defensive.

She smirked again, as her eyes began glowing. A ball of energy formed in Mikado's free hand, hurling it towards the man before her. The ball landed only a foot in front of him before detonating and exploding. The man quickly leapt through the blast, and that was the moment she was waiting for. She charged at him, swinging and stabbing furiously. Blocked. Each attack was easily blocked, as if the man wasn't even trying to fight her. Mikado grew more and more aggressive with each strike, when an idea popped into her head. She made one last stab at him before she jumped into the air, slashing down at him.

 _ **KCHAANG!**_

Mikado was met with the sound of ringing steel, looking down shocked to find that her sword had been caught between the blades of the man before her. His blades latched together, forming a large pair of scissors. He raised the scissors, lifting Mikado's blade into the air. Mikado was sent flying back by the man's boot, losing her grip on her sword. Her head smashed into the wall of a building, the force of the impact depleting her aura a shocking amount. She looked up just as the scissor had dug into the wall around her neck, pinning her against the wall.

The figure came close, and she got a closer look at his features. His eyes seemed to glow, a single mole under his left eye. He was clean and well kempt, with short haired combed back. She couldn't see any emotion in his eyes, as he began to speak again without any notice of Mikado's growing worry. "I've apprehended the intruder, should I move to execute? Over." A look of sheer terror grew on Mikado's face, as she began to realize that she was now face to face with the idea of her own death.

She could hear the voice in his earpiece this time, and recognized a woman speaking. "No, Aubade, let this one go. Our job here is done, the target's down, we need to leave. Over." The earpiece cut out, as the man, now identified as Aubade, nodded. Police sirens wailed a few blocks away and Aubade pulled the scissors away, unlatching them and flipping them back into their revolver forms. Mikado slunk to the ground, paralyzed with shock.

Aubade kneeled next to her, removing one of his gloves. "I would very much appreciate it if you spoke of this to nobody." Mikado tried to formulate words, but none came out. He reached forward, pressing his palm into her head. Her eyes widened for a few seconds before she collapsed, knocked out cold. Aubade stared at her for a few moments before grabbing his coat, the cry of sirens ringing through the alleyway.

* * *

The man stood waiting at the docks to meet with the other two. Not too much later did he hear the voices of his companions. "Argilla Aubade! Stand at attention!" Called a deep, burly voice as the two figures approached him. He stood straight up, turning towards the two.

He nodded to them, "Marrubi, Suie, the hit went well, I presume?" The two removed their coats, as Marrubi Notturno stepped forward. Her hair was a strawberry blonde, and it reached down to her shoulders.

"It was mostly smooth. Started a bit of a firefight, but the job was done. Things would've gone much smoother had Suie been quiet like he promised." She shot a glance back towards the man standing behind her. Suie Serenade stood tall over the other two, as he stroked his stubble with a small smirk on his face.

"Sneaking around just doesn't seem to suit me, Marrubi. I'd much rather prefer to have one fire fight, y'know?" He grinned at her.

Marrubi sighed, turning back to face Argilla. "Besides that intruder you mentioned, did anybody attempt to enter or escape the warehouse? Did you get hurt at all?" Argilla shook his head not breaking eye contact with her, and Marrubi smiled in response. "Good. That was very well done Argilla, the Don will be pleased to hear it. Report back to him for us, would you?"

Argilla nodded, "Yes ma'am, of course." Marrubi, pleased, turned to walk away as Suie approached Argilla, placing a firm grip on his shoulder.

"You must'a been bored, waiting around for us, huh?" Suie said, giving a cursory glance back towards Marrubi. Argilla didn't respond, prompting Suie to speak again. "Don't worry, kid, that woman will make a fine hit-man out of you yet, and then you'll get to join us adults in the fun stuff!"

"Yes sir," Argilla agreed. "I intend on completing my training soon." Suie gave him a pat on the shoulder, and like that, Suie turned and disappeared into the night. Argilla stood for a moment, looking out onto the water before leaving the docks and entering the back alleys once more.

* * *

Argilla approached a small convenience store on the outskirts of the Lago, the bell ringing as he entered. He looked around, making sure nobody else was around before motioning toward the cashier. "Do you happen to carry the sheet music for 'A Romantic Night on the Lake' by Wenge? It's a Classic Chamber piece."

The cashier smiled and nodded. "Of course! It's in the back, please come with me." The cashier lead Argilla into the back, pushing aside a few crates to reveal a hidden door. Argilla thanked him, entering the door and into a lift, waiting to take him into the lower depths of the store. The doors let him out into what seemed like an office space, but was in reality the working grounds for Classic Chamber, an underground mafia.

Argilla found multiple people clad in suits packaging Lien, dust, and other products. Argilla pulled somebody aside. "Where's the Don?" He was directed to one of the offices, where Don Giallo Aubade had been discussing his coming plans for taking over the baking industry in Lago with other high ranking members. Argilla patiently waited at the door until Giallo spotted him.

Giallo halted the meeting, and the others left the room. He was a very stout man, but he could still hold command over a large group of people. Giallo sat down, and motioned for Argilla to enter. "Dearest son of mine, what is it you need?"

Argilla began to speak, "I've come to report, sir, if I ma-"

"Yes, yes. Of course, report please." Giallo nodded, motioning for Argilla to get on with it.

"The Loch Mafia has been cleared out of the warehouse near city hall. Marrubi and Suie even succeeded in dispatching a high ranking member of the group tonight," Argilla recited robotically. "We've delivered a rather striking blow to their underground dust trade."

Giallo sat listening, nodding to every word that Argilla said. "Good! Good! At this rate, we'll be able to clear those rats out of our city permanently, and then we can leave them to the Grimm!" Giallo laughed at his own words, as Argilla stood listening patiently. Following his laughing fit, Giallo looked back at Argilla, "You get a good night's rest, boy. You did a good job tonight!"

"Yes sir." Argilla turned and left, returning home for the night. "Thank you for your services," He said, passing the cashier and stepping out into the cold streets of Lago.


	2. Chapter 2

Light washed over Lago as the sun rose, the lake sparkling under the bright light.

Like a flowing river, beams flooded into Argilla's bedroom. He blinked awake, rising slowly as he took a look at the clock by his bedside. Six in the morning, he ought to get up. Argilla stood, his feet stepping out onto the cold wood floor as he began to walk toward the kitchen.

He found himself brewing a mug of coffee as the radio next to him crackled to life. "The recent spike in Grimm attacks have begun to die down, as huntsman and huntresses, local and foreign, have worked together to protect the walls of Lago from any outside invasion. Some huntsman have even begun surveying Lake Lazuro, attempting to suppress the rise of any aquatic Grimm. Some believe that this recent rise in Grimm activity has been due to a string of gang violence in Lago, and as things stand, it seems to be the most likely cause."

Argilla listened for a few more minutes, gulping down the rest of his coffee. He turned off the radio as the report came to an end, placing his mug in the sink. Argilla spent exactly five minutes in the shower, and a similar amount of time brushing his teeth and combing his hair back. He had just finished dressing up when his scroll rang.

Argilla recognized the voice as he answered it, another Classic Chamber Operative. "I need a little help opening this jar, think you could come and loosen it for me?"

"Yes," Argilla said, and that was all the conversation was. Argilla had hung up before anything else could be spoken. He was quickly out the door and into the cloudy streets of Lago, walking briskly to Classic Chamber's base of operations. Opening the lift, Argilla entered in the calm of the morning. He descended down a flight of stairs into the lower depths of the compound, finding the operative whom he had talked to on the scroll earlier.

"I apologize to call you here this early, Mr. Aubade, but no matter what I do, this fella' in here won't crack!" The operative pointed behind herself into a dimly lit room. Meeting Argilla's cold gaze was a young man, beaten and bruised. Just another member of the Loch Mafia that thought it could pick on the big dog. Argilla cast a shadow on the man, blocking the light as he approached him.

"I was hoping you could, y'know, rough 'em up a bit like you usually do, Mr. Aubade! I'm just trying to get some of the locations of [insert other gang bosses here]" The Operative said.

Argilla nodded, "Of course, you may leave this to me," He turned around, facing the operative. "Please, close the door. Things may get a bit loud in here." She nodded, slamming the door shut and leaving the man at Argilla's disposal.

Argilla kneeled before the prisoner in front of him, as the prisoner avoided eye contact with Argilla. Argilla finally broke the silence. "You have presented with two options. Either you will reveal to me the locations of your leaders and/or bases of operation, or I will break you, and I will break you to the point where you won't know what's real anymore."

The prisoner laughed at Argilla. "After what I've been through, do you think I'll talk so easily?! Give me your worst!" The prisoner taunted, a wide smirk on his face. He spat at Argilla's shoes, looking up to see the reaction of his torturer. Much to his surprise, Argilla's face remained unchanged. He watched as Argilla slowly began to remove his gloves, exposing his bare hands to the cold air in the room.

"I see you have elected the latter option. Very well, don't try to make too much noise. Nobody will hear you anyways." Argilla stated, reaching out with his left palm towards the prisoner's head. Before the prisoner could speak, Argilla's hand had latched onto his forehead. Nothing happened for the first few seconds, as Argilla sat completely motionless. The prisoner began to doubt Argilla's methods for a brief moment before his mind had suddenly become assaulted by various images.

The room he had known began to fall away around him. Even Argilla, who had been right in front of him, had vanished from his view. Instead, the prisoner found himself at the bottom of a body of water, feeling a desperate need for air. He began swimming to the surface, his lungs screaming for air. He was only a few inches from the surface now, beginning to feel his muscles fail him as he neared the top, but that didn't matter. He was about to be free and fill his lungs with air.

Right before he could reach the surface, he felt something grab a hold of his feet. It began to pull him back down, deeper into the water. The man tried his best to fight back against it, but his muscles had long since stopped obeying him. He cried out, expending the last of the air in his lungs, as his vision began to darken and the world faded away.

Argilla released his hold on the prisoner as he sputtered awake in agony, clutching at his chest. The man on the ground before him had become even more of a mess than before, now only a pile of sweat, sputtering for air, shaking incessantly. Argilla stood up, looking down upon the man, before he finally spoke. "Now then, you have been presented with two options."

* * *

Marrubi had sat, waiting for Argilla to finish with the prisoner. She heard the door slam shut as he began to climb the stairs again. She watched as he spoke with the operative, giving her all the information he had drawn from the prisoner downstairs. Her voice filled the room as Argilla finished. "Argilla Aubade, are you ready to begin our session?"

Argilla nodded, standing at attention, "Yes ma'am. I am ready to begin."

Marrubi strode past him, placing her hand on his shoulder, "You may relax Argilla, this isn't anything formal." She lead him into a large room, drawing a sword from her belt. "Well? Draw your sword." Argilla nodded, removing one of the revolvers from his holsters and flipping it into its machete form.

He lunged toward Marrubi, making quick, succinct strikes, but finding Marrubi blocking or avoiding each one. Marrubi moved gracefully around him, easily anticipating his every move. Marrubi didn't make a single attempt to fight back, remaining on the defensive, in a similar way to Argilla the previous night. Argilla swung again for her, attempting to disarm her, but Marrubi, with one quick strike, easily parried him. She then proceeded to make two well placed strokes, knocking him down to the ground.

"You're too readable, Argilla. You always try to disarm your opponent before moving in for the kill." She grinned down at him, offering her hand to help him up. He rose on his own, ignoring her hand. Marrubi sighed, "You'll finish your training soon, Argilla. No worries, I'll make a great fighter out of you yet."

Argilla met her eyes, "Of course, I would expect nothing less from a former huntress."

Marrubi smiled warmly at him, "Thank you, Argilla. Now then, shall we continue?" And for the next few hours, they did just that.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun had begun to set, and Argilla paced down the streets of Lago, walking past numerous buildings. Some were restaurants, others were stores, each with different signs and names.

 **Anima's Finest Wines**

 **Ruth's diner**

 **Vinyl Moss**

All of these places disappeared behind him as he walked, as he had another destination in mind. Soon enough, he could hear the fog horn of a ferry out on the lake. Argilla had arrived at the docks. The sky had darkened, and he surmised that it would rain soon. No matter, he wouldn't overstay his welcome there.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted somebody else, sitting next to the docks. His eyes were drawn to a young girl, wrapped in blankets near the docks. She had freckles and her hair was a bright blue. Her eyes matched her hair, as he realized she had been staring straight at him. Argilla kept his eyes locked onto the girls until she looked away.

He walked to the end of the docks, staring out into the water. Oddly enough, for some reason that girl remained in his mind. Argilla noticed the ripples in the water as raindrops began to fall from the sky, and he turned back towards the girl. She was shivering, even with the blankets around her. Argilla approached the girl, a sudden chill running down his spine. Was he really that cold?

The girl pricked up her head when she heard Argilla's footsteps, looking up to find him kneeling at her side. The voice of his father flashed in Argilla's head, 'Be polite, Argilla. Try your best to blend in.' Upon getting a closer look at the girl, Argilla realized how young she was.

Words began to flow out of his mouth, not much thought being placed into his words. "Do you have any place to stay?" The girl shook her head, prompting Argilla to speak again. "You could get sick, would you like to spend the night in my home?" The girl hesitated for a moment, when the rain had suddenly increased in intensity. She nodded quickly, wanting to get out of the rain as fast as she could.

Argilla helped her up, making sure that the blankets stayed wrapped around her so she would remain warm. He did his best to keep her out of the rain, as he lead her back to his apartment.

* * *

The laundry machine whirred as it washed the girl's blankets. Argilla stood in the kitchen, before he leaned into the next room over. The girl had been sitting there, wrapped in new blankets. "Would you like a drink?" She nodded. "Coffee?" She shook her head. "It's cold. Hot chocolate?" She nodded. Argilla began to brew her a mug of hot chocolate, and he turned on the radio while he waited.

"...and local authorities have finally quelled the week-long Grimm attacks outside Lago. Thankfully, there were no casualties, although some have been seriously injured, and are currently in medical attention."

 _ **DING!**_

The mug finished filling with hot chocolate. Argilla turned off the radio and brought the mug to the girl in the next room, setting it down on the table in front of her. He took a seat himself, sitting across the ways from her. He could hear her mutter something as she grabbed the mug. "Could you please repeat that?" He said. "Be careful, that hot chocolate is still very hot. Do not hurt yourself."

The girl nodded, looking back up at him, as she began to speak "Thank you." Her voice was soft and gentle. She slowly took a sip of the hot chocolate, as Argilla watched her. This continued for a few minutes before Argilla broke the silence.

"What is your name?" He asked, not looking away from the girl. She looked up at him nervously. Argilla picked up on this, and he spoke again. "If you are afraid, I will tell you my own name. My name is Argilla Aubade." The girl nodded slowly, and Argilla waited for a response.

 _ **BZZZZZRTT!**_

The washing machine rang as it had finished with the girl's blankets. Argilla began to stand up as he walked towards the machine.

"Lynae." Argilla looked back, hearing the girl speak. "My name is Lynae."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: So uh, I realized that my author's note for chapter 1 didn't show up, and instead of just updating chapter 1 with it, I might as well just put it here for anybody who's been reading this far, so here it is now I guess? Hiya everybody, thank you for reading Chrysalis up until this point. Any and all criticisms/feedback/notes/juicy gossips/tales from the crypt/fun messages are welcomed, I hope to grow as a writer from people's reviews of my story. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have writing it. Thanks!

* * *

Argilla's eyes fluttered awake, his back sore from the night he spent on the couch. The time was ten in the morning. He sat up, taking in his surroundings and remembering what had happened the previous night. He had allowed Lynae to sleep in his bed for the night, but not before he had learned a bit more of her, although she wasn't too keen on sharing much about herself.

She was only fourteen years old, and she'd been alone for a few weeks. She had a bag of clothes that she brought around with her. Lynae's parents were gone, and she had only barely scraped by with money given to her out of pity by people on the street. In fact, she had even asked him if he could make her any food, and Argilla obliged. She ate ravenously, and soon enough, all of the food was gone.

Lynae had seemed incredibly happy following that, and Argilla offered his room to her for the night, to which she joyously said yes to. Oddly enough, Argilla felt a strange...warmth in his chest. It quickly faded away, however, and Argilla soon went to sleep, the warmth in his chest nothing but a hazy memory.

Argilla got up, moving to the bathroom to take a shower. He finished in a punctual ten minutes, brushed his teeth in exactly two minutes, and combed his hair back. He entered his room, finding Lynae sleeping. He had grabbed his clothes when Lynae suddenly stirred a bit in her sleep. She soon fell back into comfort, smiling as she slept. Argilla suddenly felt assaulted again by this feeling of warmth in his chest.

He quickly left the room, changing his bathroom, but this time the feeling persisted. Argilla sat in the kitchen, eating silently. The warmth in his chest wouldn't leave. It felt foreign, something Argilla wasn't used to at all. Why was this happening to him? For the first time in ages, Argilla didn't understand what was going on with himself. He finished eating, grabbed his scroll, and was quickly out the door. The idea of leaving Lynae alone in his home crossed his mind, but quickly left it as well. The warm feeling seemed to fade as he got further away from the house.

* * *

"Hey! Wait for me!" Lynae cried, chasing after Argilla as he walked down the sidewalk. Argilla did not wait.

* * *

Lynae finally caught up to Argilla when he had stopped at the corner of a street to answer his scroll. She couldn't quite hear any voice that Argilla was talking to, and she could see through his scroll that the contact didn't have any picture or name. Argilla didn't say anything other than agreeing with whoever was on the other line.

Argilla eventually hung up, placing the scroll back into his pocket. He looked back down at Lynae, speaking as if he was reading from a cue card. "It would seem that I am not required to go to work. Therefore, Lynae, considering the fact that you do not have any place of residence, I have elected to allow you continue to stay with me, should you so choose."

Argilla didn't wait for a response, instead he continued walking. Lynae began to chase after him again, trying to keep up with his brisk pace. "Where are we going?" Lynae asked.

"To the docks." Argilla responded.

"Why? Going… fishing?" Lynae asked again, trying her best to keep up with him.

"I like the docks." Argilla said.

"What about them?" Lynae asked, trying to think of any way to maintain a conversation with him.

"Nothing in particular comes to mind." He said. Lynae gave up at that point, and she continued to follow him in quiet. Soon enough, the docks were only a few blocks away, when Lynae stopped dead in her tracks.

"Whoa!" She said aloud, "I love this place! Can we stop here to eat?" Argilla turned around, as Lynae stood in front of a red neon sign, with bold letters that read:

 **Ruth's Diner**

Argilla looked back to the docks, not so far into the distance, but his mind had told him to go back to where Lynae was standing. He approached the sign, staring at it for a few moments. When was the last time he too had been to Ruth's Diner? It must've been ages. The food was terribly unhealthy.

"C'mon! Let's go in! The food here is so good!" Lynae said. The thought made itself prominent in Argilla's mind. The food _did_ taste good, perhaps he'll eat there once more. Argilla opened the door for Lynae, as she walked inside. "Yes!" She said excitedly, moving to a table.

"A table for two, please." Argilla told the waiter at the front. For some reason, he felt odd again, only it was different from the warmth before. He felt strangely energized, he spoke and moved faster than before, and when he sat down he felt the need to get up and move more.

They both sat down at a small booth, as the waiter brought them both menus. Lynae seemed buried in her menu, reading all of the items over. Argilla eventually broke the silence, "You seem far more open than last night."

Lynae briefly looked up from her menu, her eyes meeting Argilla's. "Is that a problem?"

"No, I did not expect you to open up as quickly, considering your interactions with me the previous night." Argilla said.

"I guess I'm just comfortable around you now, even if it was quick." Lynae said, going back to the menu. Fair enough. Argilla looked down at his menu, flipping through to view the items available. They were all so… unhealthy. He'd decided he'd stick with a small salad, and that would be it. He'd make himself more food when he got home.

Eventually their waiter came back, asking for their orders. Lynae spoke first, "I'll get the… uh…" She quickly gave a look back at her menu, as if forgetting what she was about to say. "I'll have the chicken fingers and a dust cola!"

"A great choice! And you, sir?" The waiter turned to face Argilla, pen in hand.

"I will be have a small salad and a glass of water, please. That will be all." Argilla said.

The waiter seemed somewhat surprised by Argilla's choice. "A-are you sure, sir? I think you'd enjoy any of the other selections from our menu!" He said, a bead of sweat forming on his brow.

"Yes, I am very certa–" Argilla was cut off by a loud crash through the kitchen doors.

"Excuse me?!" A voice called from the kitchen, out stepping a big, brassy woman. There she stood, in the flesh,

Ruth.

She marched up to Argilla. "You're _**just**_ getting a salad? Are you crazy?!" She grabbed the menu from Argilla, opening it and showing him multiple different food options. "You won't get the beef stew? The brisket sandwich? Like I'd let that happen in my establishment!"

Ruth peered into Argilla's coat, spotting his two revolvers in their holsters. "What are ya'? A Huntsman? You gotta stay strong to fight off those Grimm out there, so you better eat a lot!"

Argilla's eyes remained firmly on the woman's before him. "I will be having a small salad and a glass of water, please," He repeated, seemingly unconcerned for Ruth's growing frustrations.

"You should try the sliders!" She said, her voice growing louder.

"No." Argilla responded.

"The matzah ball soup!"

"No."

"The mozzarella sticks!"

"Oh that does sound good…" Lynae pondered.

"No."

"The herring with a potato salad on the side!" Ruth roared at him.

Argilla was about to speak again when Lynae cut him off. "You should get the herring! I've had it before, and I really like it!" The idea planted itself firmly in his mind again. He suddenly felt that he too liked the herring.

"I will have the herring, then." Argilla said, feeling bizarrely confident with his choice. Their drinks arrived, and as Argilla took a sip of his water, Lynae asked the question.

"So… why did she ask if you were a Huntsman? Are you actually a Huntsman? I knew a huntsman! She was the coolest!" She beamed up at him, almost excitedly.

"No, I am not a Huntsman," Argilla said, opening his coat to reveal his revolvers, Scissor Sisters. "These are purely for self defense. It is best to be able to defend yourself, especially considering the gang activity in Lago."

"I guess you're right," Lynae said, sipping at her cola. They sat in silence a bit longer, eventually their food arriving at the table, hand delivered by Ruth herself.

"You enjoy that food now, ya' hear?" She said, looking at Argilla.

"Of course ma'am." Argilla responded, cutting into his food. Lynae wolfed down her food, and for a moment Argilla pondered on how a young girl could eat so much in such a short amount of time. Argilla felt the strong urge to begin eating as well. He found himself eating quickly, but trying his best to maintain his manners while he ate. Lynae had finished her food far before Argilla did.

She felt completely full, that is, until Ruth approached with the dessert menu. Lynae practically leapt from her seat at the prospect of dessert. Argilla clearly did not want any more food, but his brain had simply told him that dessert didn't sound like such an awful idea. They both ordered the same item, a chocolate pastry, and ate quickly.

* * *

Argilla payed, and soon enough they were back out on the street again. Lynae made sure Argilla paid a tip, and she thanked both their waiter and Ruth. Argilla began walking towards the docks again, Lynae following behind. She had realized at this point that there was no point in asking Argilla why he was going to the docks, he wouldn't give her a clear answer at all.

"Stop!" Lynae had suddenly grabbed Argilla and pulled him back. Not expecting this, Argilla quickly reached into his coat, his hand on one of his Scissor Sisters when he had seen what Lynae was doing. In her hand, she held a small caterpillar. "You almost stepped on it!"

Argilla's hand remained on the gun, as she began to move the caterpillar out of the way and onto a nearby bush. "You can't just kill something like that! Especially not something like a caterpillar, it hasn't even finished gone through its metamorphosis yet!" Argilla stared at the caterpillar a few moments longer. He felt an odd disdain for it, as he unknowingly tightened his grip on his gun.

"I know it may _look_ ugly now, but just give it a chance. It'll be beautiful one day, and I think it should be protected." Lynae said, Argilla suddenly loosening his grip on the gun. The words felt soothing to him, and he pulled his hand out of his coat.

Argilla nodded, "Of course." He then continued past Lynae and towards the docks. Lynae had sat at a bench nearby, as Argilla stood at the end of the docks. He closed his eyes as the salty breeze blew through him. The water rippled, as he watched some fish dart around between rocks. He felt more calm, all of the feelings that had been pulling at him that day seemingly being washed away.

Argilla was pulled out of his calm by the sound of Lynae shrieking. He turned back, seeing Lynae jumping off of the bench. "A bee!" She screamed, "Kill it! Kill it!" Argilla felt as if something pulled at his face, but it quickly went away, walking back towards the now panicked Lynae.


End file.
